Improvement in rotary steam-engines



P. GRAMER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

N0. 111,818, 9 Patented Feb. 14. 1871.

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that Gtffitt P'HlLIPP GRAMER, 01F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 111,818, dated February 14,1871

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making put 0! thesame ofthe same, is a true, clear, and exact deseri 'itionj thereof,reference being bad to the drawings.

Figure 1 represents, in cross-section, one of my ongines.

Figure .5 represents the samc, with one or its sides removed.

Figures 3 and 4 represent, in detail, a portion of the mechanism forcontrolling the operation 'ot' the valves.

The same letters of reli-rence are used in all the figures.

My engine is mounted upon a hollow-pipe shaft,

- through which steam is inducted to its interior. The

whole is ineased within a chamber into which exhaust steam is deliveredand from which it is discharged.

For theqmrposes of illustration. 1 .have, prepared drawings whichexhibit an engine ot' rectangular form, having upon opposit edges,-at ornear each end, protrading chambers. I

I A represents the outer casing or chamber containiug the engine, andinto which steam is discharged, and from \ghieh it escapes at a.

YB represents the main shaft, upon which the engine is mounted, andwithwhich' it revolves. Its bearings are mounted in theilsidcs oi thechamber This main shaft is also the induction stoma-pipe, and at b thesteam-pipe from the boiler is connected after the manner of suchconnections in oscillating engines.

0 represents the side and .oorrespoinling ends of the. exterior-of theengine.

1) represents the edges and. eorrespomling ends of .the same.

E is the main steam-chamber, into which steam is conducted direct fromthe boiler, by pipes, through pipe-shaft B, and in which the degree ol'steam press are is always the same as in the boiler, with which it has adirect connectitm.

F and F are auxiliary steanechambers, into which steam, at intervals, isalternately admitted from chamber E, and from which, at properalternating mter *als, it is discharged into the outer chamber, withinthe walls or casing A, thence to space.

G is a slotted slide-block passing through a slotin the pipe-shaft B,and at right angles to it.

H and 11 are valve-rods,secured into the opposite ends of slide blocksG. Both operate valves in the main stezun-chambcr l5, rod 11 extendinginto auxililz u'y-chambci' 1?, and rod H extending into chamber I, and1' are slide-valves, by which steam is per mittcd to escape throughcductiou-ports c from themain into'the auxiliary-chambers. They areoperated by the valve-rods H, to which they are attached,

in such a manner that when one valve is open the other is closed.

K and K are cylindrical chambers parallel with the valve-rod, and whichform a port-ion of the partitions between the main and auxiliarysteam-chambers. These chambers K have heads at their ends furthest fromthe pipe-shaft B, through which the valve-rods' pass in the usual manneroi piston-rods. A short distance from the inside of the heads, in thewalls of these chambers, are several apertures (l, which open into theauxiliary chambers.

l) and L are plungers or pistons secured. to the. valve-rods, and fittednicely to the interior of the cylindrical chambers K. These plungers areof a thickness greater thanthe diameter of the apertures 0, so that,when the plungers are opposite thereto, they are all completely closed.v

M and M are slide-valves in the auxiliary steamchambers. They aresecured to and operated by the valve-rods 11, upon which they are so setthat when UlI(-..,\'1\i\() is open the other is closed. J

These valves control auxiliary educt-ion-ports f, through which steam ispermitted to escape into. space, or into the ii'iterior of the outeror-incasingchamber, and thence to space.

N is a pulley upon the main shaft 1%, from which power may be taken.

The operation oi'lhe ineehanism,tln1s i'ar described, is as follows:

Referring to fig. .3, main steam-chamber E, it will be observed thatslide-valve I has closed the eduction-port 0, while the valve 1- isbelow its poi-t c,

which is, consequently, open.

In auxiliary steam-chamber l it will also be observed that its valve M,at port f, is open, while in chamber F valve 3 and portf are closed.

. Steam is let into the main chamber E, which freely.

escapes by port 0, valve 1, at right. angles to the line of the axis ofthe engine, into auxiliary chamberl",

thereby inducing a rotary motion of the engine in an opposite direction.

\Vhcn the pressure in the auxiliary chamber bc-. comes equal to that inthe main, steam ceases to flow in that direction, and pressure isexpended upon the piston L, which, having but ah atmospheric pressure atits back, gives way, movie the valve-mil in ,that direction. closingvalve I am opening valve I permitting steam to flow through the port 0into. aux- Mary-chamber F.

By this same action port f, by valve M, has been closed, while valve M,with its port, has been opened.

Auxiliar -chambcr F havin a )ressure eual to a c q.

that in the main chamber, discharges its .stearn through port f, atvalve M, inducing by its action an accelerated rotary movement.

When the pressure in auxiliary-cliamber 1* equals that in the mainchamber the pressure in chamber F has, become so reduced that the forceof the steam'in.

its port f, as before described, contributing additional acceleratedmotion and power to the motor.

Each of the slide-valves is-provided with a spring, h, to secure properengagement with its seat-.

It will be at once observed that, without some additional means tosecure prompt action of the valverods H their motion would be-toosluggish, and the time occupied in effecting its changes of directionwould be too great to secure a desirable aud'praetica-l result. I have,therefore, invented a means for securing the prompt action of thevalves, which I will now proceed to describe.

O is a slide-rod,-extending nearly the length of the pipe-shaft B, inits interior.

Its inner end has abearing in a cross-piece secured to the inside of thepipe-shaft.-

It also has another bearing in the outer head of the pipe-shaft B, at1', through which it extends.

- Its outer end is embraced with a sleeve, 7;, the ends of which aresquare, while the intermediate portion thereof is round. The squareportion of the sleeve k is fitted to slide-bearings at each end.

Upon the outer end of the slide-rod 0 is a screwthread and nut. Thelatter is turned up on the rod until its inner face engages closely withthe outer end of the sleeve k. 4

Upon the round portion of the sleeve It is mounted a conical loosepulley, Q, which has a vertical hearing at its inner end and a cam-faceat its outer end.

A pin, set in the sleeve 7:, projects therefrom and engages with thiscam-face in such a manner that, as the pulley revolves, the sleeve isthrown out, carrying with it the sliding rod 0, which, as the cam-facere-' cedes, follows it closely, being actuated by a spiral spring, I,which embraces the rod 0 within the pipe.- shaft B. 9 t

This rod 0, at the center of the engine, passes through the slot in theslide-block G, and at right angles thereto. j

On each side of the slide-block G there are correspondingshoulders,'asshown in figs. 3 and 4 more clearly.

Upon the sliding rod 0. are two stop-blocks, m and n, which, by means ofspiral springs 1), are made to constantly press against theopposite-shouldered sides of the slide-block G.

- It is to be remembered that the stop-blocks m and n are so fitted tothe slide-rod G as to slide freely thereon.

Betweerfitheir inner faces, securely pinned tothe rod 0, is a collar,shown in dotted lines in figs. '3 and 4, and marked 1".

Referring more particularly to fig. 5, it will -be ob served that thestop-block it engages with the shoulder in the slide-block G;consequently preventing the valve-rod from being moved in the directionof its ar- The lower valve being open and the upper closed. as shown infig. 1, the pressure upon piston L is not permitted to move the red byreason of this stopblock a.

Upon drawing out the rod 0 in the direction of its arrow the collar 'ron the rod engages with the inner side of the block a and causes it tomove with the rod and disengage from the'shoulder in the slide-block G.allowing the piston, valve-rods, and valves to move upward until theshoulder on the opposite side of the slide-block passes the stop-blockm, which, by engaging therewith, (see fig. 4,) prevents any returnaction until the rod 0 is released and forced back by its spring, bywhich action the collar '1' engages. with the inner end of thestop-block m and forces it out from the shonlden'and so on at properintervals, to be determiued by practice or as maybe required in eachengine.

. Power may be applied to this conical pulley as it to an ordinaryregulator or governor, towhich the usual devices may be attached forincreasing or decreasing the speed thereof, and thus eflect the actionof the rod 0, and thereby control the operation of the steamvalves.

Themotiou of the valves is very rapid, and the space in the cylinders L,between the apertures d and the inside of the cylinder-heads, issufiicient to afford an air-cushion, upon which the force of the blowwould be practically expended.

In practice, I. purpose to increase the number of the auxiliary-chambersto any-desired extent, in order that the power of the steam, when itshall pass from the final auxiliary-chamber into space, may bepractically exhausted.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The mainsteam-chamber E,in combination with two or moreauxiliary steam-chambersF, mounted upon the pipe-shaft B, provided with suitable eduction-valves, operated by the direct pressure of steam. and arranged todeliver twoor more columns 'or jets of steam into aninteriororexterior-space at right angles to the line ofthe axis of theengine, substantiall-y as described.

2. In combination with a rotary steam-engine, barin g a main and two ormore auiiliary steam-chambers, and valves operated by the directpressure of steam, thesliding rod 0, stop-blocks m and a, sliding blockG, and cam-pulley Q with sleeve k, the whole being arranged to controlthe action of the valves, substantially as shown and described.

PHILIPI ORAMER.

Witnesses:

WM. SANFORD,

